Business
& Labor
Steven Holl Architects Leaves Denver Justice Center Project
(archrecord.construction.com - 10/06/2006)
By Diana
Murphy, for Engineering News-Record
Steven
Holl Architects left the Denver Justice Center project
this week. The firm’s local architectural partner, klipp,
will handle design of the center’s $127-million courthouse.
No specific reason was given for the
New York City-based firm’s decision to exit, though the
budget is believed to have been a major concern. Klipp released
a statement on Wednesday saying the project’s objectives
“could not allow [Holl] to design a building consistent
with Steven Holl’s design philosophy.”
Brian Klipp, whose firm had been working
with Holl for the last eight months on the project, says Holl’s
sudden departure shouldn’t adversely affect the timeline
for the project. “For the last six months, we’ve
been working the programming and planning,” Klipp says.
“That’s all completed now, so we were in the early
stages of design with Steven.”
Klipp says he is disappointed that Holl
left the project. “It’s been a great relationship.
Steven and I have a good friendship, and that will continue,”
he says. “I’m disappointed, of course, because he’s
a very talented architect, but we are the architect that has
committed to the project. It’s a tremendous opportunity,
and we’re excited about designing a great building for
Denver.”
Steven Holl Architects deferred all
calls made to their offices about the firm’s departure
to klipp.
Nick Koncilja assistant Justice
Center project manager for the City of Denver would not comment
on the departure.
Last December, Holl and klipp were picked
for the courthouse component of the $378-million Denver Justice
Center after a 15-person jury chose them from nine finalists.
Hartman-Cox
Architects of Washington, D.C., was selected to design
the jail.
In addition to klipp, Ricci
Greene Associates, a New York City-based consultant, is
part of the courthouse team. The Hartman-Cox team also includes
Ricci Greene Associates, as well as Denver’s OZ
Architecture and Boulder’s Voorhis
Robertson Justice Services.
AR7
Hoover Desmond Architects is the architect for the $17.5-million
post office and parking garage, the first part of the justice
center to begin construction. Haselden
Construction is the general contractor.
A tower crane was raised at the site
on Sept. 15, and foundation work is under way. The post office
and parking garage are scheduled to be completed next July.
After that, sitework for the courthouse
is scheduled to begin, with construction expected to finish
in December 2009.
Meanwhile, the jail site is scheduled
to be vacated by the Denver Newspaper Agency this month, with
hazardous material abatement to begin immediately; demolition
is set for January. Construction is scheduled to finish in
December 2009.
A general contractor hasn’t been
named for the jail and courthouse.
“We are negotiating a contract
with our first-ranked contractor for the project but have
not finalized our agreement,” says Koncilja.
Jacobs
Facilities Inc. will provide project management services
for the justice center construction.
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